Annual Report 2004/05 - Special Investigating Unit

CORPORATE SERVICES
Mr. Brian Amery: Head of Finance
Service Provision
FINANCE AND
EXPENDITURE
The Finance Division set itself the
following objectives for the 2004/05
fi nancial year:
• providing services at a competitive rate
and minimising overhead expenditure;
• offering excellent corporate services.
An increasing number of departments are interested in using the SIU
on conducting forensic investigations. In many cases the SIU has been
chosen in preference to private sector service providers on the basis
that it can provide services more economically and effectively.
The SIU has placed considerable emphasis over the past three years
to become more effi cient and containing costs and overheads without
compromising the quality of its work. The Finance Division has a vital
role to ensure proper control over expenditure, and in negotiating
rentals for premises, travelling expenses and fleet management.
The Finance Division has also implemented systems to ensure that it
can account properly for the spending on projects.
Excellent Corporate Services
As the SIU expands, the pressure on corporate services increases.
The service of the Finance Division will be substantially enhanced in
the future with the relocation of its manager from East London to the
Head Offi ce in Pretoria, and the employment of additional staff.
Although there has been a substantial increase in volumes of
subsistence and travelling claims, salaries and other operationallyrelated
costs, the division has achieved an average turnaround time
of two days for the processing and payment of claims.
In addition to the above, the Finance Division has maintained additional
services that it offers to various operations. These include:
• a library service that was established especially to support the
Legal and the Communications divisions;
• a messenger service for the handling of documents.
During the year under review the Finance Division performed its
regular financial duties, such as budgeting and financial reporting.
Regular engagement with the internal auditors of the Unit has also
taken place. Key amongst the SIU achievements for this period is an
unqualified audit report for the Unit.
Challenges
With the SIU rapidly moving towards a purely project-based
environment, the Finance Division will review its budgeting process
and infrastructure in order to support such a shift and ensure improved
support.
The growth of the SIU due to its increased national project numbers
and subsequent increase in staffing will require the division to
review its provision of services to more staff. The Finance Division
will be required to develop the necessary financial infrastructure to
accommodate an increase in transactions due to growth, as well as to
improve accountability within the systems.
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